Requested Recipe:

CALENDULA WINE

"I was given a bottle of Calendula Wine. It was delicious, but I don't know what it is. Do you have any idea, and how to make Calendula Wine?"Adrianne Forsythe, Waterford, CT

CALENDULA

I have made calendula wine. Calendula is better known as marigold, although as an herb it is known by
it's Latin name. The dried petals are sold at health food stores for tea, and thus can be had any time
of the year. Thus, I consider calendula wine to be different from marigold wine, as the former is made
from the dried petals and the latter from the fresh,

I make this wine semi-sweet with 11.4% alcohol.

Calendula Wine

2 oz. dried calendula petals

1 lb 14 oz granulated sugar

4 tsp acid blend

1 finely crushed and dissolved Campden tablet

7-1/2 pts water

1-1/2 tsp yeast nutrient

1 sachet Lalvin EC-1118 wine yeast

Put 3 pints water on to boil. Dissolve sugar in water. Put petals in nylon straining bag with 3-4
glass marbles, tie closed and put in primary. Pour boiling water over petals. Add remaining water, acid
blend and yeast nutrient. Cover primary and set aside to cool. When at room temperature, add Campden
tablet (finely crushed and dissolved in some water), recover primary, and set aside for 10-12 hours. Add
activated yeast. Recover primary. When specific gravity drops to 1.015 or lower, transfer to secondary
fermentation vessel and attach airlock. Recipe makes slightly more than one gallon so put extra in small
sanitized bottle (use later for topping up) and attach airlock (#3 bung fits all wine bottles down to 125
mL). Wait until all fermentation ceases and airlock is still for two weeks, then rack into clean secondary,
top up and refit airlock. Wait additional 30 days and add another finely crushed and dissolved Campden
tablet and 1/3 teaspoon potassium sorbate to clean secondary, rack wine onto it, top up and refit airlock.
Wait 30 days, sweeten to 1.006 s.g. or to taste, and bottle. Wait two months before tasting for bouquet to
develop. [Author's own recipe.]

My thanks to Adrianne Forsythe for requesting this recipe.

This page was updated December 24th, 2005

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